Tesla CEO uses distraction tactic

Tesla Model S

PHOTO: Handout, Tesla

By David Booth, Postmedia News

Originally published: March 7, 2013

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One thing that can be said about Tesla’s firebrand CEO is that Elon Musk sure knows how to create a diversion. Oh, I suppose one could believe in coincidences, but since I am paid to be skeptical, I think Musk’s recent attack on New York Times reporter John Broder was perfectly timed to divert attention from the recent news that, well, Tesla is still losing a lot of money (the company reported a bigger-than-expected fourth-quarter loss causing a dramatic drop in share price). The distraction must have worked — while “Range-gate” has generated top-of-the-fold ink, precious little mind was paid to the fact that the company is still hemorrhaging money.

The scandal makes for interesting reading. In case you’re the one automotive enthusiast that has not followed the kerfuffle, author Broder attempted to drive the longest-range, 85 kW-h version of Tesla’s signature Model S from D.C. to Boston and ended up being stranded with a dead battery somewhere in Connecticut. Broder blamed the poor cold-weather range of Tesla’s batteries, poor instructions by Tesla staff and too great a distance between the company’s much-publicized Supercharger range-extending stations. Musk countered by calling Broder’s evaluation “fake,” claiming he deliberately ran the S out of electricity in an effort to discredit Tesla and, by extension, electric cars in general. Musk (who also sued Top Gear when he didn’t like its evaluation) insinuated Broder’s prejudice by noting previous articles questioning the viability of EVs and, in the coup de grace that rallied his true believers to the blogosphere, that he had data from the car’s onboard computer to prove Broder’s nefarious plot.

Analysis of all that data, however, proves, like so many supposed ironclad investigations, inconclusive. Musk noted that there was still some charge left in the Tesla’s batteries when Broder’s trip came to such an unceremonious end (not only did the Model S have to be put on a flatbed back to home base, but in running out of range, its parking brake locked, making said journey particularly difficult), but then critics point out that electric vehicles generally don’t allow total depletion of their battery charge, as it could cause damage. Much ado was made that Broder only charged his Tesla’s battery up to 90%. Yet, as other critics have pointed out, filling those ions up to the brim also diminishes battery life. In the end, after the New York Times’ public editor reviewed the situation, the most damning criticisms directed at Broder were that he didn’t understand the limitations of an electric car, didn’t follow Tesla’s instructions, and didn’t take adequate notes (he claimed he reduced cabin temperature dramatically to save precious electrons and the data show he did not reduce the heat as much or for as long as he indicated).

Of course, that admission alone really doesn’t solve the mystery of the missing electrons. More importantly, it really doesn’t matter.

Indeed, hidden in all the rebuttals and replies of Tesla is proof positive that electric cars are still not, Musk’s contentions notwithstanding, ready for prime time. Musk contends that Broder took a “long detour” during his ill-fated, electron-depleting run. And, even though Broder claims that this was a three-kilometre sidestep into Manhattan that had no effect on the outcome, it is indicative of the greater issue facing Tesla and, indeed, all EVs.

Musk is probably correct that, in ideal conditions, the Model S could make the sojourn from D.C. to Boston with the Superchargers strategically laid on the way. And as the New York Times had already written in another article (Charging Ahead on an Electric Highway by Bradley Berman, published Sept. 28, 2012), you can drive a Tesla S from Lake Tahoe to Los Angeles. But, what this whole episode doesn’t address (and I don’t think Musk wants to address) is that EV drivers are still extremely limited in their mobility. Routes between any two Superchargers must be chosen primarily for their directness. Want to stop at that new winery that got the latest rave review? Sorry, you’re out of luck. A quick visit to sickly Aunt Mabel? Nope. A quick detour to see the Statue of Liberty? Better check that all-important range meter first.

Indeed, perhaps the harshest criticism of the Tesla Model S comes from the very article that acolytes point to as refutation of the Broder’s test. CNN replicated Broder’s trip without incident and had, according to author Peter Valdes-Dapena, “It wasn’t that hard.” But buried inside the piece is that, at one point in his trip, Valdes-Dapena had to decide whether to take a longer route that avoided the congestion of New York City, or conserve his precious electrons to get home safely.

What Tesla’s fans don’t like to admit, and Musk seems at pains to ignore, is that it doesn’t matter that Valdes-Dapena made his side trip without incident. If he had been driving a conventional car, he wouldn’t have even had to ask the question.